Silver-Tiered Centerpiece for Christmas

A few months ago, I was shopping in one of my favorite antique/thrift stores, and I came across a pretty multi-tiered, silver server. It was a bit more than I really wanted to spend at $50 and it seemed a bit on the high side for the Flea…but it grabbed hold of me and refused to let me leave without it. I’d been planning on putting together a formal tablescape for TT for sometime…now I had the perfect centerpiece. As I played with this tablescape, it suddenly took an unexpected turn and took on a Christmas feel. So hope you enjoy a touch of Christmas, just a little early.

With the lights turned up and the candles, not lit…

Let’s dim the lights just a bit…and light those candles…

After I’d taken quite a few pics, I decided to add some blooms from my Encore Azalea to the tiered centerpiece….this pic was taken with the azaleas.

Here’s a pic of the centerpiece taken prior to adding in the azaleas blossoms.

Found this little star ornament at Hobby Lobby last Christmas. Using a pretty ribbon, I attached it to the top of the server.

I gathered lots of pretties from around the house. I knew I wanted to keep all the colors white, silver or crystal clear…with just a touch of red. The little silver-painted pine cones were gifts from a sweet niece one year. She always gives wonderful gifts that she makes herself…aren’t those the best kind?!

The sparkly, silver starfish you see above, and pictured here below…

Nothing was off limits for filling my centerpiece, as long as it fit somewhat within the color scheme. I mixed in three different styles of napkin rings (pearl, jingle bells and silver) right along beside ornaments I already had or found recently at Old Time Pottery.

For this formal setting, I envisioned luscious, red strawberries, piled high with fresh cream. The tiniest fork to the outer left edge is a strawberry fork. (If pic appears cut off on the right, try adjusting the resolution on your computer to a higher setting.) China is Noritake, Pattern is Colburn…it was the china I selected in 1978, as a bride-to-be.

Alas, no strawberries, so a pretty ornament must do…

Sterling flatware is Towle, King Richard…

Crystal is Fair Lady by Lenox…

You know I love pulling out the salt cellars for the formal, and sometimes, even for informal tablesettings. I just love an excuse to use these tiny, little salt spoons.

The first time I ever used a sugar scuttle was while staying in a Bed and Breakfast on vacation. I went on a mad search for one after that day and found one fairly quickly on eBay. Since buying the first one, I’ve bought several more for gifts. When you find them, they are sometimes missing their little scoop. If it’s missing the scoop, just use a sugar shell spoon or little tongs.

Excuse the slightly askew flatware. I scooted it over to make way for an elbow while taking some pics of the centerpiece and forgot to scoot it back.

A few months ago, I was out antiquing and I came across this apothecary server. I immediately recognized it as a server I’d seen online at Neiman Marcus. I’d been drooling over it for over a year, but could never bring myself to pay the NM price.

It was at $189 in the antique store, and it looked brand new. But, I couldn’t remember how that compared to NM’s price…I thought it was less, but I wasn’t sure how much less. I told the clerk that I was interested in the piece, but really needed to check and see how their price compared to a brand new one at NM.

He apparently did not want me to leave the store with out it because he got on the phone with the owner and the price came down to $89. I said, YES, immediately, because I knew that was definitely better than Neiman Marcus. I had him pour water in it and I tested it before I bought it. It worked perfectly.

I was thrilled when I got home and pulled up the NM site and found it was going for $249, and that was “on sale.” Yea! Good things do come to those who wait…sometimes.

Thanks for stopping by this evening for a tablescape with a little hint of Christmas. Looking forward to seeing all your beautiful tablescapes!

Looking forward to seeing all the tablescapes posted for this Tablescape Thursday!

If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalinkbelow, and not your general blog address. If you aren’t sure how to obtain your permalink or have any questions about using Mr. Linky for this post, just click HERE for detailed instructions.

Please copy and paste the Tablescape Thursday logo button to your computer. Then you can upload it to your side bar and use it in your tablescape post so your visitors will know you are participating.

Please link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch. This is important because it helps those who are visiting your blog, find the other wonderful tablescapes posted for this Tablescape Thursday.

Please do not add your link below, until your tablescape post is actually published to your blog.

Breathtaking. I'm not quite ready to start thinking about Christmas yet since everyone is coming here for Thanksgiving(hopefully around 20). However, I found myself humming Jingle Bells as I viewed your wonderful post!

Susan, I love your beautiful, sparkly table with all the white and crystal and silver. That tiered server is so pretty. Love it with the ornaments. I found a beverage server similar to yours at Home Goods this past summer. I think I got mine for $30 or $40! I was thrilled because I, like you, had seen them for much, much more.

Susan, the silver tiered server is just breathtaking! What a wonderful idea. The silver with the red walls and the beautiful china- this tablescape is a delight. I have a silver server, and I am trying this idea for Christmas, too.Thank you for hosting- and your great give-away!Yvonne

Susan, you have created a gorgeous tablescape with that centerpiece and in your fabulous dining room. With the two together, you do get a little sense of Christmas-to-come and I love that feeling! Great deal on that server, it is terrific!

Susan, that table is just gorgeous. It makes me want to get out the Christmas things and get busy. The house we are in now has an open layout. The kitchen/dining/family rooms are all open. Your photos made me miss my formal dining rooms of houses past. Stunning!

Susan, this is stunning! Love your new tired server, and I love everything you put in it. Your new liquid server is a real beauty and what a great deal you got on that! You made me want to start decorating for Christmas! As always, I so appreciate you hosting TT. laurie

Susan, this is a stunner! The silver and crystal with red accents makes this all so elegant. Love the little strawberry fork. Guess we might all be looking for a tiered silver server now! It makes a perfect focal point for this exquisite table. Glad you found the server at a bargain. It too is stunning and so useful all year round. The lantern give away is terrific. Sign me up 3 times. I've subscribed for email and here is the link to a great item: http://www.colonialcandle.com/genuine-monkeez-picture-frame.aspxIt's a precious picture frame using the sock monkey theme. Love those sock monkeys!Merry, Merry! ~ SarahDon't have a tablescape of my own to share this week, but I'm heading out to see who is on the list this week.

Your dining room is beautiful, Susan! Did you take these pictures without the flash on your camera? The post I added to Metamorphosis Monday was taken at night and I have to figure out how to turn the flash off.

That multi-tiered silver server is gorgeous! Love the ornaments you put in it. Everything is gorgeous!

Hi Susan! Your table is so beautiful! I love your tiered piece and how you've placed Christmas in it! 🙂 Oh the drink server, I don't know what it's called, is so beautiful. I can just see it with some beautiful red punch in it! Love it all as usual!Be a sweetie,Shelia 😉

you are TRULY inspiring… your photos should be in magazines. THIS HAS TO BY HANDS DOWN MY MOST FAVORITE TABLESCAPE YOU HAVE DONE. WITHOUT A DOUBT THE MOST GORGEOUS THING i HAVE SEEN in a LONG LONG TIME. The cupcake tiered tray or whatever you call it… STUNNING.. with all the ornaments and what have yous… BEAUTIFUL JOB. k- I will shut up now!

Hi Susan,Such a beautiful tablescape. Youdid really good. Looks like a winter wonderland. On the Colonial Candle site, I lovethe multi tealight holder lantern.Also for my third entry, I did sign up to receive the e-mail alerts.Grace[email protected]

Susan, this just makes me smile and say ahhhhhhhhh. Your room was made for Christmas time. Love the way you pulled stuff in for the centerpiece. Everything is so inviting and beautiful!! What a nice deal you got on the jar!! (enter me in for the drawing) 🙂

Honey, you have knocked my socks off with this one!! OUTSTANDING!! I love every inch of it. The red accents in your lovely red room are just PERFECT. I do all gold & white for Christmas but now you've got me rethinking…I may need to put in a pop of color like this.I love your bargain hunting. It makes them all the more special if you don't feel like you were taken to the cleaners with their purchase. I just LOVE a good sale. 😀

Thank you for all the inspiration you provide & for allowing us to join you in this obsession over dishes. LOL

fondly,♥ Rett

p.s. I, too, would love to enter the Colonial Candles lantern giveaway for today. Thanks for the chance to participate.

Hi Susan, Absolutely lovely as always. What a perfectly elegant tablescape in the ever so elegant dining room. I would have had a hard time passing up the tiered silver server also, it is so gorgeous and will be perfect for your Holiday table.Christmas will be here before we know it. I am planning this years Thanksgiving table and I am also using some found silver items, so fun to treasure hunt. Hugs Kathysue

First of all I adore your sparkly table, Susan! It is just gorgeous and makes me want to DECORATE!!!:) Now, I found 4 Halloween votive holdres, set of 4 but when I clicked on them it keeps saying the page can't be found??? So, I couldn't supply the link here, sorry! They are under candle accessories. YOur sugar scuttle is extraordinary: I always love seeing it when you post it. I will have to find me one!!!!The salt cellars are such fun too! The tiered server is fabulous! I love it especially with all the goodies you put on it! FABULOUS table! Now I will go see some more! Thanks so much for hosting this! I didn't get a table done this week: I am in the middle of a BIG life decision. XO, Pinky

Really gorgeous table! I was especially interested in the sugar scuttle. I have my grandmother's although I never saw her use it as one. Each year she'd host her mother's 80+ year old birthday party, and she'd fill hers with nuts by the cake and punch! Nice to know it's real use.

Ohhh my…this is one of the most beautiful tables that I've ever seen, my friend!!! It's soooo rich and elegant…I love the white and silver with the few splashes of red! I just adore your centerpiece…I have plans to do something similar soon! Your photos are simply fabulous as usual…I really do think that they belong in a magazine! I keep waiting for the day that we see your beautiful home and tablescapes in print!!! Thank you for sharing all this beauty with us today!!!

Ohhh…and I love the Colonial Candle lantern! It would be so perfect at my place…especially since it's green! I'm heading over to Colonial Candle to take a look! Thank you, Susan…for doing such a fabulous giveaway for us!!!

Susan, Are you lucky or what?!? The tiered server would have come home with me too! It's gorgeous & so is the new apothecary server! Oh yeah – you're tablescape is fabulous too! I am sooo drooling over your new finds! ♥ Diane

omg..it just takes my breath away.I love everything in the whole, entire post. Just magnificent.O, and PLEASE add my name for the beautiful lantern giveaway. It is so so pretty and I LOVE it.Thanks so much for hosting this lovely day.xo bjO, the tip you gave me this morning worked like a charm. My many thanks to you, sweetheart.

Beautiful! Beautiful! I don't know what else to say! Glad you had the apothecary server checked out – I remember some one had a problem not to long ago with one they bought – it had a leak (can't remember who it was). Love your posts.Glenda

Beautiful table setting! I was so excited to see a bit of Christmas. I am really excited to have found this site just in time for the holidays! I bet there will be some amazing things here! I learned two new things today. I have never heard the words sugar scuttle or salt cellar. Glad to have learned that! Happy TT and thank you for hosting such a special site…Sherri

wow, sooo beautiful, you never stop amazing me…you find the most wonderful things and use them in the most beautiful ways…I have always wanted a beautiful dining room like yours, I am happy you have shared it and you have such fun with it…

Susan thes absolutely took my breath away! My mouth was probably open as I took it all in.Elegant, warm and inviting!I loved coming tonight to see! Please enter me to for the lanterns! They are so pretty in a different way. ~♥

Susan,You have the most beautiful dining room ever! This table simply sparkles, I am so loving it! Every detail is superb, and the centerpiece just makes me smile! I would love to visit your home at Christmas time, it must be magical! Hugs, CindyPlease sign me up for the give-away too!

Good morning! I don't know how you can keep coming up with tablescapes that are so beautiful each week! Simply perfect! You did strike gold with the apothecary drink dispenser too!

I'm following the daily giveaways and looked at the Colonial Candle website. Now signed up to get email alerts – I simply love the Santa on the refrigerator. I'm going to have to get me one and also one for my daughter – HOW DANG CUTE!!!

I just came back from Colonial Candle. I'm not sure about the cut and pasting of an item so I will just tell you which one I loved! Since my daughter will be getting married in June, I went straight to the Wedding section of their website. There I saw the most beautiful Large Silver Pillar Lantern. It would be just perfect on the head table positioned right between the bride and groom!

This is absolutely beautiful and your silver stacking tray is decked out perfectly. I don't think I would be much interested in eating at a table as lovely as yours, I would be spending my time looking and admiring all of your lovely items.

Gorgeous Christmas setting! I'd switch out silver for gold to use with my antique china…maybe even switch to green! You've given me some great ideas. Especially the cute little votives–really make the whole table twinkle. And those lanterns would be perfect for a spring/summer table! And outdoors!

The Elegant Roccoco Style Mirror Tray on Colonial Candle's site is amazing! Perfectly aged. I've been wanting something just like this for a long time. It would look great in a powder room/dressing room with pretty lotion and perfume bottles.

Susan, every table you do is more gorgeous than the one before! Thank you for giving me the inspiration to try and do my own beautiful tables this holiday season. A lantern would make a wonderful addition to my aspiring tablescaping life! (Ummm… I think I may have just made up a new word…)

Hello dear Susan, I found your blog from Melissa's Heart and Home as I am adding a linkn on my sidebard of beautiful decorating blogs . . . do you have a button that I may display on my blog? I am also going to give you a mention in my current post about fab decorating blogs. Please do stop by and hopefully some of my recipes may someday appear on your lovely tablescapes! Gosh I think you have the same chandelier as me ….is it a Schonbeck? Much love and gratitude for your inspirational blog….Roz (aka bella) I've also added my name to your extremely large followers list!

Hello dear Susan, I found your blog from Melissa's Heart and Home as I am adding a linkn on my sidebard of beautiful decorating blogs . . . do you have a button that I may display on my blog? I am also going to give you a mention in my current post about fab decorating blogs. Please do stop by and hopefully some of my recipes may someday appear on your lovely tablescapes! Gosh I think you have the same chandelier as me ….is it a Schonbeck? Much love and gratitude for your inspirational blog….Roz (aka bella) I've also added my name to your extremely large followers list!

Susan, your table looks wonderful!! I think what you spent on your silver server was worth it!Please enter me in your drawing for today, I love those lanterns.On Colonial candles website, they have the cutest holiday tags in silver to hang on the tree. Very victorian looking.Thanks again for the giveaways!!Lorie [email protected]

Oops, Susan, I forgot something important….I'd like to enter my name into the giveaway for the green lantern. My home is all green,cream,yellows, and pink/corals so this would look fab in my home ….thanks for entering my name for the drawing. Roz again

Susan, you are one talented lady beautiful table scapes please enter me in the thursday giveaway I went to Colonial candle signed up for email promotions and I'm going to post this on my blog for everyone to see your beautiful things thanks so much I really enjoy your blog!!

My favorite part of the table is the server. The white, silver and clear colors with a little red is beautiful! That server shows you how you can take little things you already own and create a gorgeous centerpiece out of it. Beautiful!

I'm a faithful follower of your blog but this is the first time I've ever left a comment. This tablescape is so beautiful, that sever was well worth the price you paid, I love how you dressed it up for Christmas. Definitely a feast for the eyes. My favorite thing on CC website is the lantern with bird pillar holder, I also signed up for their mailing list. Looking forward to your next post.

What a stunning table. I always find the most beautiful and inviting homey looks on your blog. It's one of the most beautiful blogs around for dish-aholics and we Southern design loving girls. Thank you for sharing the joy in making a house a beautiful and engaging home.

The Christmas tablescape is simply elegant! Gorgeous! It's so pretty and you have such an eye for decorating, my gosh. The lanterns would look great in my mom's dining room! I want to win those for her. I'm a follower and I like the Holiday Greetings Wall Decal Set on the Colonial Candle website. Thanks so much for sharing.

Beautiful as always Susan… I love your details… Those photos with the candles lit are just incredible! Also I can't take my eyes off that incredible covered cake plate on the buffet table… So beautiful!

Well all I can say is THANK YOU! I finally know what to do with the 3-tier cut crystal cookie stand my late mother left me. Growing up mom always served Christmas cookies from the star shaped full lead crystal tiers, but you've given me an even better way of honoring mom by filling the tiers with beauty all year long! What an inspiring blog you have here, thank you Susan!

Oh that table was exquisite! I loved it. I loved how you incorporated the ornaments and the napkin rings were so pretty there too. Thanks for sharing. Oh BTW I would love to win the latern please enter me. Thanks for doing this every week. I just love. Maybe someday I'll post! Have a Blessed Weekend.Sherry

Excuse me but… have I died and gone to heaven? There isn't one thing in this room that doesn't make me go ga-ga. Even the red walls, and I'm NOT a red wall kinda gal. The silver is stunning, stunning, stunning… and the little spoons and strawberry forks are to die for!

I love everything about this table scape, but mostly the painted snowman. Thank you for zooming in and getting a good view!!

I also love Colonial Candles. My sister-in-law sells them and I can't say enough good things about them. I'll never burn anything else! If you never tried them, you don't know what you are missing out on…they are the best!!

This is the most gorgeous tablescape I think I have seen.The red and silver works great together. I just love the lanterns they would look great on a tablescape. I would love to have one to use during the holidays.

Susan — Just gorgeous! Oh what a stunning formal table. I haven't done a formal setting yet for TT — now I feel a formal mood stealing over me … I LOVE your red and gleaming table. Just beautiful. And can't believe the buy you got on that apothecary server. Wow.

I love your beautiful table scape, the chandelier, apothecary and just everything looks like it is from a magazine spread. Great use of all the pretty votive candles.I would love to win the colonial candle lantern too.

Susan,The formal setting with that chandlier is just stunning. I could look at those pictures every day, they just make me light up! I would love to win the candle holder. This entire week has been such a fantastic giveaway week. Thank you for the wonderful blog and giveaways.

Beautiful! Oh, and we have the same china! I inherited mine from my grandmother but it my folks started it for her by giving her a set one year and adding to it for holiday's after that. I love it very very much. And since my dad was an only child as am I, I was the blessed recipient of many warm and loving memories.

My favorite item in the Colonial Candle website is the cinnamon candles. I love cinnamon smell this time of year and I bet the clove adds just the right touch. From tealights to pillars, I love em all.

You are inspirational! Following your lead, I set a beautiful table just last night for my husband and I. He was so appreciative and it made our ordinary meal of homemade stir fry that much more special.

Susan,Following you and checking every day to see if there is another inspiration for us followers.The Christmas Stocking is really cute and would add so much to ourother stockings.Looking forward to e-mails fromColonial Candle on their specials.Grace[email protected]

You have some very interesting pieces on this tablescape. I tend to gravitate toward the antique t hings. The sugar scuttle is wonderful. I enjoy seeking out the treasures in your tiered dish. Love the monogrammed napkin rings as well.BTW, I'll just take the featured lanterns.http://www.colonialcandle.com/large-leaf-pillar-lantern.aspx

What an amazing table! I jus finished polishing the silver for the holidays, so it was great to see all the glitz with candles and crystal. Great job! Amazing giveaways too!! I love the wreath and lantern. My favorite at Colonial Candle is still the Charleston lantern with bird pillar! Would love to win any thing and having great fun playing!Debbie

My mouth is hanging open. That is the most beautiful dining room and tablescape I have ever seen. I love the way you have the napkins! the Venetian Mirror is theft-worthy!I vote this best tablescape EVER!

I so wish I could paint my dining room red! Alas though, I don't think the wood walls would be so forgiving. Yes, wood. Not paneling (if it was paneling, painting would be pleasure!). I am in love with your dining room. It's so beautiful! I am somewhat of a new visitor to your blog and absolutely thrilled with your ideas and photos. Thank you!

Your tablescape for Christmas couldn't be anything less than stunning, elegant, classy, just to much! You have such talent and the beautiful accessories you have and find, I wish I lived close by your house to run up and see what you come up with next! Congratulations Susan and may you continue creating beautiful tablescapes and sharing them with us. Love always.Fabby